Managing online assignments with Google Classroom

These days there’s a wealth of learning software and games you can assign to your students. But keeping track of student progress on each, not to mention dealing with all the different student logins and passwords, can be a time-consuming headache.

Google Classroom simplifies things, and best of all, it’s free. For students, it’s a site into which they can log in once and access many if not all of their assignments. It even allows students to collaborate with each other. For teachers, it’s a one-stop place to assign and monitor student progress on online learning programs and games.

The best way to get started with Google Classroom is to sign up for G Suite for Education, available free for schools and nonprofits, which provides productivity tools, security, and tips for hardware acquisition. Although Google Classroom can work without it, you must use G Suite for Education if users will not be signing in with gmail accounts.

Of course, Google Classroom works with all the Google products such as Google Docs and Google Slides (presentation software similar to PowerPoint). It also works with a wide variety of non-Google software, such as BrainPOP, Classcraft, DuoLingo, GeoGebra, Newsela, PBS Learning Media, and Quizlet.
For more information about the many apps that work with Google Classroom, see 50 Awesome Apps that Integrate with Google Classroom on shakeuplearning.com.

The site includes a helpful free mini-course, Getting Started with Google Classroom, which includes instructional videos and additional resources.
Shakeuplearning.com also offers tips on creating differentiated assignments in Google Classroom and 350+ Google Classrom Tips and Resources.

For other Google educational resources, see tidbITs: Google educational resources.